Beverage containers are typically loaded into a refrigeration unit, for example, by placing the container farthest back from the door on a wire shelf. In particular, in a restaurant or bar environment, the beverage containers, which may be in the form of glass bottles, are typically loaded into the refrigeration unit early in a day and reloaded when supply or the amount of beverage containers or bottles on the shelf becomes relatively low. In a busy restaurant or bar, loading or reloading may occur multiple times in a relatively short amount of time, for example, hourly. It is not typical to permit all the beverage containers on a given shelf within the refrigeration unit to be used or pulled prior to reloading.
Many beverages that are loaded into the refrigeration unit, particularly in a restaurant or bar, have a best-by date, freshness date, or use-by date associated with it. This date is typically printed on the beverage container or bottle itself and/or a label on the beverage container. Upon reloading of a refrigeration unit with beverage containers, the dates printed on the beverage containers are not typically visually checked and those beverage containers with a more current date are thus not rotated or brought to the front of the shelf in the refrigeration unit. This may be particularly true in a busy restaurant or bar environment. Instead, newer beverage containers having a date that is farther away are placed in the front of the older beverage containers. Thus, the older beverage containers may not be used by their associated best-by date, freshness date, or use-by date.